The Trying Times of Emil Steilsson
by LeFay Strent
Summary: "How was school today?" Lukas asked once Emil came home. Emil toed off his shoes by the front door, answering his older brother, "Another casualty in the fight for the freedom of expression. Or that's what Leon's been saying today."


Three minutes before class started, Leon took his usual seat by Emil.

"Hey," Leon greeted. Emil nodded, though didn't look away from his phone. "Did you hear?"

"Hear what? I've told you about being vague."

"Yeah. Feliks— you know Feliks? He like, got suspended today. For wearing a skirt."

Now Emil looked up. Leon's typical neutral expression was in place, but since Emil had known his best friend for so long, he knew that this was his thoughtful-neutral expression. The last time he'd seen it was right before 'someone' rigged their Biology teacher's chair with firecrackers.

"What are you thinking?" Emil asked.

Leon stared up towards the ceiling, fingers tapping lightly at his cheek. "If all the guys wore skirts, would the school be able to suspend all of them?"

Emil shrugged. It's not like he worked in administration. Or had ever worn a skirt. "That's if you could get them all to set aside their fragile masculinity to wear them in the first place. Why?"

Leon hummed casually and grabbed his bag to stand up again. "I'm gonna skip class. You be good."

"Why?" Emil asked again, though not concerned in the slightest.

"I'm gonna start a social movement," Leon murmured, walking off.

Emil went back to his phone.

* * *

"How was school today?" Lukas asked once Emil came home.

Emil toed off his shoes by the front door, answering his older brother, "Another casualty in the fight for the freedom of expression. Or that's what Leon's been saying today."

Lukas was a lot like Leon in that they hardly showed extreme emotions. The subtle frown and stare was about all Emil received for his efforts.

"A guy got suspended for wearing a skirt to school," Emil explained.

"Ahh." Lukas nodded and pushed off from where he'd been leaning against the kitchen doorway. He disappeared back into the kitchen. Emil reluctantly followed to find him cooking a pot of something at the stove.

"What about you? Nice day?" Emil asked awkwardly. He wouldn't have asked, but since Lukas asked about him first, he might as well extend the courtesy. Never mind this happened every day since he started living with his brother.

"Mom called," Lukas answered, staring down into the pot of what could be stew. Or soup. Maybe human organs. You never knew with Lukas. "She said hi."

"That it?"

"She also befriended a bear today."

"Oh, okay. I'm gonna go to my room now. Call me when dinner's ready."

"Don't forget to do your homework," Lukas called after him.

Emil escaped into his bedroom, otherwise known as his safe place away from the oddities of his family. He immediately went for the laptop on his desk and started it up. While he waited for any of his online friends to show up, he piddled around with his math homework. Eventually, messages from Skype popped up.

 _Hey little boy._

 _Wanna talk?_

Emil forewent messaging and just called her.

"Boy," she said in a tone that sounded personally offended. She was always personally offended by something, it seemed.

"Hey Liz," Emil responded.

The pixelated screen evened out and revealed Elizaveta's smiling face. She sat on her bed, still in her school clothes and thick hair tied in a bun.

"I just had the most awkward conversation," Liz said, diving right in.

"Can't be any more awkward than the conversations I have with my brother."

"Why? He say something?" For some reason, Liz had always been invested in Emil's interactions with Lukas, despite never having met either of them. Him and Liz had met online after all.

"He said mom befriended a bear today." Emil was looking down at a math problem now, so he must have missed an interesting face Liz made.

"What? You're Mom's going to die. You don't make friends with bears; you run away from them."

"Oh, should I tell you now that my mom's actually a wildlife photographer?"

"Uh, that would have been helpful to know beforehand!"

"I thought I had mentioned that before."

"No, no you did not," she said, sounding flabbergasted. Emil didn't know why she made a big deal over it.

They went on like that, telling each other about their day. In the middle of that, Emil's phone jingled.

"Leon texted me," Emil told her. He talked about him frequently enough that Liz knew who he was talking about.

"What'd he say?"

"He said he's picking me up tomorrow, and not to get too attached to my pants."

"Well that doesn't sound sexual at all," Liz commented with a smirk. Emil rolled his eyes at her. She always tried to find sexual connotations between him and Leon, as if they had tension that needed to be sorted out. He thought it was ridiculous.

"I think he just wants me to wear a skirt. I'm texting him to remind him that I don't own one."

"Why a skirt? He into that?"

"Not really, but this guy got suspended for wearing a skirt today and I think Leon wants to protest."

"Same."

Emil raised a brow at her. "Except you couldn't protest like that because you're a girl."

"I can protest with my fists. I'll fight them."

"Liz no."

His phone chimed again and Emil checked Leon's new message. It made him scowl and text back quickly.

"What'd he say?" Liz asked, far too curious for her own good.

"He said he's got a skirt for me, since I wouldn't pick out something that's fashionable. That's not the problem though. What if I don't want to wear a skirt? I don't want to get suspended."

"Sacrifices have to be made, Emil," she said seriously. "How does any social movement happen if they weren't risking something?"

"Not you too," Emil groaned. "Leon's been calling it a social movement too. But I'm pretty sure we'd need more than two people to be that effective."

"You never know," Liz reasoned. "You could go to school tomorrow and everyone's wearing a skirt."

Emil shook his head. Like that would ever happen.

* * *

True to irony, the next day came and Emil and Leon rolled up to the school to find all of the students lollygagging around campus. In skirts.

Emil wanted to gape. He wanted to question it. But all he could do was tiredly glare at the sea of skirts while looking back at the knee-length, yellow material that Leon had forced him into this morning. Beside him in the driver's seat, Leon wore his own black skirt embroidered with a green-scaled dragon. As if he wasn't Asian enough.

"I really don't like this," Emil said.

Leon nodded, his lips twitching up ever so slightly. So happy-neutral it was then.

Emil huffed and willed himself to exit the car. If he was getting suspended, at least the rest of the school would go down with him.

* * *

"How was school— Why are you wearing a skirt?"

Emil glanced up from where he was tugging off his shoes. Lukas stood by the entryway, eyeing the skirt Leon had graciously let him keep. Lukas had already left for work by the time Leon picked him up that morning, so he hadn't gotten an eyeful until now.

Emil fingered the yellow material and said, "Leon started a social movement."

"You don't sound too happy about that."

Emil glared. "I'm in a skirt. What do you think?"

Lukas shrugged. "I don't know everything you're into. If you want to wear a skirt, I'll support you."

Emil covered his face and groaned, hating the way his cheeks flared up red. "Please don't. I don't ever want to see another skirt again."

It's not that he had a vendetta against skirts. Emil was just unhappy that he'd been forced to wear one all day. Even more so that Leon's plan had actually worked. News stations even showed up around lunch. A group of skirted boys can-canned for the cameras. The principal practically declared war. Talk about exhausting.

"But it compliments you so nicely," Lukas teased. Emil stomped towards his room, but Lukas merely followed. "The lacey ruffles soften your atmosphere of teenage angst."

"Stop."

"I could take you shopping for more, if you want. We could get you some make-up too. Would you like that, Emilia?"

Emil slammed the door in his face.

* * *

 **I could almost write a whole book about Emil's life. Almost.**

 **I hope you liked this little drabble. Leave a review, if you so please.**


End file.
